When it Rains
by Alya Serce
Summary: Lily loved the scent of the air just before it rains... Lily and Severus, at the beginning of their 5th year, speak of their hopes for the future


_(And when it rains on this side of town it touches everything...)_

Lily loved the scent of the air right before it rains, the clouds blowing through the sky, the wind rustling through the trees. It was warm, humid, almost like summer. She had only been at Hogwarts for a few weeks so far this year, and she was glad to be back, where she could wander around outside in the storm on a Sunday night without Tuney bothering her, yelling at her to come inside.

The wind blew her fiery red hair around, getting in her face and she tried to shake it out of her way. She felt the first drop of rain fall on her, and tilted her head skywards, opening her mouth, allowing the drops to fall in, crisp and clean and cold like rain should be. She held her arms out on either side of her, welcoming the storm.

_I must look like a maniac out here, _she said, laughing to herself. _A 15 year old girl standing out in the pouring rain. Maybe I'm crazy._

_You're not crazy,_ a familiar voice spoke behind her. He put his arms around her, his hands over her eyes. _Guess who._

_I know it's you, Sev, _she laughed again. _It's always you._

Her hair was plastered to her face with water now, and she turned to face him.

_Your makeup's running._

_I know. It always does._

The stood there for a second, looking at each other.

_I was looking for you all day,_ Severus told her. _I couldn't find you in the library or anywhere, and they all said you weren't in the common room…_

_I just needed some time alone… I spent all day on top of the astronomy tower. I'm sorry._

Another moment of silence passed between them, before she finally said,

_Let's go somewhere together._

And grabbed his hand and ran. He followed her, stumbling along behind her.

_Where are we going?_

_Anywhere we want. You and I, we could be free. We could be anything we wanted to be. _She turned back towards him, her eyes sparkling with excitement. A rare smile crossed his face.

And they ran.

They ran and ran, side by side until the tired, and then they collapsed on the ground, right by the lake, panting and gasping for breath, looking up at the rain that fell from the sky.

Finally, after a few minutes, Lily turned so she was lying on her side, facing him, watching him look up at the sky. He had a distant look in his eyes.

_(You made yourself a bed at the bottom of the blackest hole and convinced yourself that it's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore.)_

_What do you want to do, Sev?_ She asked

_Oh, I'm perfectly content to just lie here._

_Not now, silly. I mean, what do you want to do with your life? What's your dream?_

He didn't answer, and Lily couldn't tell whether he was thinking, or he just didn't want to answer.

_I'll tell you what I want to do._ She pushed a stray bit of red hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. _I want to be an auror. I want to rid the world of Dark Wizards and make it a safer place._

_I want to be a teacher. I want to each Defense against the Dark Arts._

Lily laughed.

_What's so funny about that?_

_I can't picture you as a teacher, that's all._

_You want to know what I really want?_

Lily nodded, not sure if he saw her or not, but apparently he did, because he continued to speak.

_I want someone to love me. My whole life, I've wanted someone to love me for me, and not just be the kid in the corner with his greasy nose stuck in a book. I want to be the object of people's affection, not their scorn._

_Sev…_

He turned towards her, too. Their faces were merely inches away. He froze.

_I-- I have to go. I have some last minute work to do before Potions class tomorrow that I need to finish up. He stood up, and she watched him walk across the lawn and back through the castle doors._

Lily sighed and said to herself, _I could be that someone, Sev. Just give me a chance._

But there never would be.

_(I need an ending, so why can't you stay just long enough to explain?)_

* * *

Lyrics are "When it Rains" by Paramore 

Reviews are love -AS


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